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Exclusive Franco-Swiss luxury watchmaker Bell & Ross has been appointed as the Official Luxury Watch Partner for the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb and will be the timepiece of choice for the 2018 edition of this prestigious motoring and motoring lifestyle event.

“We are delighted to welcome the Bell & Ross luxury watch brand to the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb family,” said Ian Shrosbree, Managing Director of Knysna Speed Festival, the owner of the event. “The addition of Bell & Ross, which is globally recognised as a premium brand and involved in Formula One, is another step in helping us to further raise the profile of this award-winning event.

“Bell & Ross is part of the great Swiss watchmaking tradition and draws its inspiration from the history of aviation, the search for the extremes, and military specifications that accompany it, to produce instruments of the highest quality. This fits with our passion for organising and delivering the leading motorsport event in South Africa, an extreme one at that, and one that is fast developing international attention and appeal.”

Bell & Ross joins international brands Jaguar and Motul as partners to the 2018 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb. “Some professions, such as race drivers, require absolute precision. When success depends on perfect timing and every second counts, having a watch able to meet the most rigorous of standards becomes absolutely imperative,” says Mr Yushaa Desai, brand manager for Bell & Ross South Africa. “Reliability, performance and resilience are essential for these special timekeeping instruments, and this is where Bell & Ross excels, making it ideally suited to the extreme performance nature of the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb.”

About Bell and RossThe story of Bell & Ross began at the end of the 20th century. With a dual Franco-Swiss culture, the watchmaking brand has become a benchmark in the world of professional aviation watches. It defied all codes by designing an icon, the BR 01, inspired by the clocks in the cockpit of an airplane: a circle within a square. Bell & Ross is an international brand that is known and recognized throughout the world, and present in over 75 countries through a selected network of 800 retailers and 13 exclusive boutiques. In 2016 it pursued its international development by reclaiming control of direct distribution in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, thus creating six new subsidiaries.

With their shared values of performance and excellence, Bell & Ross regularly works alongside elite units of the Armed Forces to design timekeeping instruments with specific functions or to celebrate particular events. Today, astronauts, fighter pilots, armed police and special law enforcement, submariners and even bomb disposal divers use Bell & Ross watches as a tool when completing their missions. Bell & Ross is also a partner of the Renault Formula 1 team.

A letter from Knysna Animal WelfareKnysna Animal Welfare (KAWS) would like to thank the organisers of the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb for once again giving us the opportunity to raise awareness and exposure and the opportunity to raise much needed funds that will assist us to help those in need.

This year we will be presenting Nero “The Pitbull” as part of our campaign to make the Hillclimb spectators and public aware that not all “strong breed” dogs are dangerous. We don’t get BAD DOGS, we get BAD OWNERS that train their dogs bad behaviour! Sadly, this becomes a label these breeds must live with.

Thanks to Knysna’s Queen of the Hill Tanya Watts, our Society will be joining her in a coordinated effort to raise much needed funds. Nero’s partner for the weekend will be Big Red - Tanya’s clearly marked red Ford F100 truck with huge money donation boxes close by. Nero will be the huge Pitbull Mascott and together they will make appearances at various destinations around town encouraging R5 donations from as many people as possible.

The first appearance of Nero and Big Red will be at the Knysna Motor Show on Sunday 29th April. Look for them close to the general ticket sales office near the main entrance as you enter the grounds.

Their next appearances will be on Thursday and Friday (3 and 4 May) at the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb Fan Fest area in Hedge Street. With all day activity on the go in the area ending with the street parades Nero and Big Red will be on display all day waiting to receive your donation.

Then on Saturday and Sunday (5 and 6 May) the duo will be at the Hillclimb itself. Parked in the Gasoline Alley area for most of the day, they will emerge at lunch time on both days to stretch their legs up the hill and drum up some vocal support with Tanya behind the wheel.

This year our General Manager, Annelien Kitley, who has never had the opportunity to experience so much adrenalin, will be joining Tanya in Big Red for the drive up the hill – it will be a first for her and for our Society, and we trust that you will cheer them on.

KAWS is encouraging all who encounter Nero and Big Red to pop a minimum of R5 into the donation boxes or the collection tins that will be around the grounds. Our Society deals with injured, abused, abandoned, and donated animals daily that all need treatment and care, and this is obviously very costly.We are a non-profit organisation that can only operate thanks to the generosity of members of public to assist us to help animals in need in our area. Naturally, our biggest goal is to find perfect loving homes for the unwanted animals that are surrendered to us, so please talk to us about adopting a dog or cat before buying from a breeder or pet shop.

So, please be on the lookout for Nero and Big Red, and our awesome volunteers who will be shaking tins on behalf of our Society – then stop, open your hearts and wallets, and pop your R5 coin (or more) into the tin or box!